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  1. Wine Screw Caps vs. Corks: Round 1 (USED ELSEWHERE)

    Wine Screw Caps vs. Corks: Round 1 (USED ELSEWHERE)

    Wines with screw caps are becoming more and more popular.  Though some purists hold fast to the idea that corks are the only appropriate wine stoppers, several connoisseurs have been greatly pleased by the benefits of screw caps in recent years. Not only do screw caps allow for the tightest seal, they completely eliminate “cork taint” (TCA contamination) and oxidation...
  2. San Diego Wine Shops

    San Diego Wine Shops

    Grocery stores are definitely the easiest places to get wine.  After all, you're already shopping--why not take a quick trip down the wine aisle?  But once you're there, it can be bewildering.  With no descriptions and no expert advice, you can end up never straying outside of your comfort zone of those bottles you know you like.  Even worse, you...
  3. 6 Things You Should Know About “Green” Wine

    6 Things You Should Know About “Green” Wine

    Unless you've been living under a rock for the past decade, you know about the "green" revolution.  If you're interested how the eco-movement affects your wine, read on. 1.  What does "green" really mean? "Green" is a pop culture term, so it doesn't have an "official" or standardized meaning.  Though you can usually count on "green" wineries to at minimum...
  4. How to Read a Wine Label

    How to Read a Wine Label

    If you're just starting out collecting wine, you probably find wine labels more than a little daunting.  How do you pick through all the fine print and strange words to get the information you need?  What's just advertising and what's useful to know? Although every wine bottle is different, and labeling practices differ between countries and even wineries, there is...
  5. Online Wine Auction Tips

    Online Wine Auction Tips

    If you're interested in scoring great deals on wine and prefer your pajamas over your formal wear, you should check out online wine auctions.  Whereas live wine auctions are most useful to that select group of wine collectors that is in a position to drop thousands of dollars an hour on wine, online wine auctions are great for every casual...
  6. 5 Things You Should Expect from Restaurant Wine Service

    5 Things You Should Expect from Restaurant Wine Service

    We've all had it happen: the moldy cork, the bug in the glass, the wrong wine.  There are some things that are clear reasons to send back your glass or bottle.  But what about the less obvious problems?  These 5 tips tell you what is--and isn't--ok in restaurant wine service. 1.  Size (and shape) matter.  At family-style restaurants (especially Italian...
  7. How to Build a Great Wine Collection

    How to Build a Great Wine Collection

    Do you have aspirations to build a great wine collection but don't know where to start?  Have you collected a few bottles but are unsure about how to build what you have into a cohesive collection?  Here are some tips and hints to help  you out. The best way to start is to educate yourself.  Before you're ready to spend...
  8. Stock Up Now: Interstate Wine Sales May Soon be Illegal

    Stock Up Now: Interstate Wine Sales May Soon be Illegal

    For years, wine aficionados have counted on the ability to order wines that aren't available at their local stores.  Say you're on a wine tour of Italy, or you're spending a long weekend wine-tasting in a neighboring state.  Maybe you're even browsing the wines of other places late one night on your laptop.   You fall in love with a...
  9. What’s in a Name? Weird Wine Names

    What’s in a Name? Weird Wine Names

    At a wine tasting event last night, I struck up a conversation with some wine lovers about the increasingly popular trend of wacky wine names.  Winemakers of yesterday tended to try and convey tradition and elegance with their wine names, often by using the name of the winemaker or the area of production.  Think of the classic Dom Perignon, which...
  10. New San Diego Wine Law Swirls up Controversy

    New San Diego Wine Law Swirls up Controversy

    Video courtesy CBS 8 News In a move that has stirred up some controversy, a new law has passed that will allow boutique wineries producing 12,000 gallons or less to operate tasting rooms. They'll also be able to sell directly to buyers and hold events such as weddings. Winemakers and wine lovers in San Diego see this as a good...
  11. Great Wines for Thanksgiving

    Great Wines for Thanksgiving

    The First Thanksgiving by Jean Louise Gerome With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, there's no time like the present to start planning your dinner menu--and the wines that will go with it.  Choosing wines for Thanksgiving can be a challenge, because you have to please a variety of palates and complement a variety of dishes.  But have no fear!  Our suggestions will...
  12. Investing in Wine Can Offer Great Returns

    Investing in Wine Can Offer Great Returns

    ...and as this infographic points our, you can always drink your failed investments, a pleasure that certainly doesn't apply to failed real estate or stocks. The best investment wines are almost always the higher-priced wines from longstanding winemakers. Those bottles are more likely to remain in high demand than are lower-priced wines. Wine is a market of tradition--pedigree and provenance...
  13. Pin the Tail on the Wine: Blind Tasting with Pleasant Surprises

    Pin the Tail on the Wine: Blind Tasting with Pleasant Surprises

    Bottle Shock, a highly amusing film from 2008 featuring a well-cast Alan Rickman, introduced moviegoers to the concept of blind wine tasting.  Based on actual events, the climax of the film occurs when an American wine from California scores higher than a haughty French wine during a blind horizontal taste test. You can use some numbered bags...or just wrap bottles...
  14. Fooled by Numbers: Wine Ratings and You

    Fooled by Numbers: Wine Ratings and You

    Have you ever been browsing through a wine selection, and notice that some of the wines have a number rating displayed near them? Many of these ratings are given by fancy, highly paid staff from organizations like Robert Parker and Wine Spectator.  Sometimes, however, staff from the actual wine establishment where you find yourself may have given these wine...
  15. Simple Label, Complex Wine: the Cahuin Winemaker’s 2008 Select Red

    Simple Label, Complex Wine: the Cahuin Winemaker’s 2008 Select Red

    Never judge a book by its cover, or a wine by its label.  The somewhat plain, non-memorable label on the Cahuin Winemaker’s 2008 Select Red gives credence to this old adage.  This delightful, earthy and rich red consists of a fine blend of Sangiovese, Tempranillo, and Malbec.  (The Malbec provides exceptional body, with earthy flavors including blackberries and plums.)  In...
  16. The Wine Doctor Is In!

    The Wine Doctor Is In!

    Wine Ph.D. With access to information about thousands of wines, all filterable to match criteria including price, varietal, region, and food pairing, Wine Ph.D. by Perk Software allows users to do all of this, plus more.  This informative, elegant program lets you view wine ratings from professional wine publications, rate wines yourself, photograph and catalogue your wines, add personal tasting...
  17. Red, White, and One Grape for Two Zins

    Red, White, and One Grape for Two Zins

    Recently, the Washington Post ran an article recommending various Zinfandels.  Although the recommendations were quite good, particularly the Frog’s Leap 2008, the Washington Post piece confused many wine newcomers.  White Zinfandels are well-known and well-liked, but few non-wine-expert-folks realize that Red Zinfandels exist.  White Zinfandel makes up 9.9% of U.S. wine sales, which is six times greater than sales of...
  18. Fotinos Brothers Presents the 2007 Pinot Noir, and a Sale!

    Fotinos Brothers Presents the 2007 Pinot Noir, and a Sale!

    The 2007 Pinot Noir from Fotinos Brothers proudly hails from Napa Valley. (The 2007 is the second offering from the inaugural release in 2006.) For a second vintage, this wine is impressive, and Jake Austad from Vintage Cellars had the opportunity to taste and review it. “The upfront is pure cherry,” he recalls, “and a smooth mouth feel is followed...
  19. Wine Cellar Pro by Velvet Vine, a Wine App

    Wine Cellar Pro by Velvet Vine, a Wine App

    Featured on Apple’s own website (apple.com) in May of 2010, Wine Cellar Pro by Velvet Vine, created by Tap Leap Software, LLC, quickly became one of the top five recommended iPhone applications.  Allowing users to manage wine inventories, track purchases, and take personal tasting notes, Velvet Vine also allows users to share their wine journals, tasting notes, and reviews with...
  20. Jake Tours Paso Robles

    Jake Tours Paso Robles

    Vintage Cellars’ very own custom cellar designer Jake Austad is currently touring the wine country in Paso Robles, California.  Some of the wineries is visiting include “local favorites” like Justin, Denner Vinyards, Turley, and Tablas Creek.  Jake checked in on Monday with an exciting discovery claiming, “I think we may have found the greatest $10 wine ever made!”  Apparently...

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